Dog Day Wedding by Rich Amooi **Author Interview & Review**

I would love to introduce you to Rich Amooi. He is the author of the latest book I've read - Dog Day Wedding. A little while back I read and reviewed his first book, Five Minutes Late. I have to admit, I was a little prejudiced going in. I wasn't sure if some bloke could write chick lit. And on top of a guy writing it, there was a man reading it (I got the audio). Could a fella read a female romance character without sounding...well....you know... Yes he can! Rich and Michael smashed down all those prejudices. When I saw another audiobook from the Rich and Micheal duo, I jumped at the chance to read and review it. I also hunted down Rich online and asked him if he would do an interview for my blog.

LOL. I have loved romantic comedies ever
since I saw When Harry Met Sally for
the first time in the movie theater. How could you go wrong with romance and
laughter together? Impossible! Some of my favorite movies are You’ve Got Mail, Love Actually, The Runaway
Bride, Notting Hill, Groundhog Day, and Meet
The Parents. I’ve seen them all many, many, many, many times. When I made
the decision to write romantic comedy novels I did some research and found some
great romance novels with humor written by Kristan Higgins and Jennifer Crusie.
I think I read around thirty books that summer before I started writing my
first romcom.

Does
your wife read your books?

Absolutely! She is my biggest fan and I’ve
dedicated my first three novels to her. In fact, she helps me in the early
stages with her feedback after she reads the first and second drafts. She
always catches something that I need to change in the story. It could be an
inconsistency in the story or something one of the women said that didn’t ring
true. It is very important for me to get the female point of view right. Two of
her female friends also read the book, which is a huge help. By the way, my
wife is just starting to write her first romance novel! It’s going to be a lot
of fun to read her stories and to help her with the male point of view.

What
is it like to write in a female-dominated genre?

I love it! I’ve met many female romance/chick
lit authors online and in person who have been so kind and supportive. I think
it helps that most of them can tell that I have romantic comedies in my blood. I’m
a member of Romance Writers of America and it’s going to be so much fun to be
one of the few male members in attendance at the annual conference in New York
this year. To be surrounded by 2500 other writers who are just as passionate as
I am will be an amazing experience. Plus, I get to meet Kristan Higgins!

Do
you have a preferred place you like to write?

My favorite spot would be in the backyard
in front of the fountain. I love to listen to the water as I write. I also like
to watch the birds fly in for sip of water or the hummingbirds zoom by for a
drink from their feeder. I don’t sit in the same spot for too long, though. I
like to get up and stretch every hour and move around, so my muscles don’t get
tight and sore. I also occasionally meet a group of local romance writers at
the local café for a three-hour writing session. It’s a lot of fun because we
can bounce ideas off each other when we need some help.

What
are you working on now?

I’m brainstorming my fourth romantic
comedy, Mr. Crotchety. It’s the story
of a cranky, bitter, sarcastic man who gave up on love after losing his wife to
a rare disease. He ends up meeting the most positive, bubbly woman in the world
and sparks fly! One thing’s for sure, he’s either going to kill her or marry
her.

Dog Day Wedding by Rich Amooi

Giovanni Roma was jilted at the altar. Twice. Meeting Natalie is an enchanting distraction—too bad she’s engaged to another man. To top it off, Giovanni’s mother has a mouth with no filter and is obsessed with finding her son a suitable baby-maker.

Natalie DeMarco is a good cop with one problem. Cold feet. Her fiancé is a decent man, but she’s starting to wonder if decent is good enough. Maybe the doubts could be blamed on Giovanni, that guitar-making Italian hunk next door.

Giovanni knows he must do something, but things get out of hand when he learns he’s not the only one who objects to the wedding.

Dog Day Wedding is a fast, fun romantic comedy that gives new meaning to the term, “Shotgun Wedding.”

Humorous romance novels for men, women, and small farm animals.

Hey! Here's my review.

Another fun romantic comedy from the guy's perspective.

Dog Day Wedding is a light and fluffy chick lit romance about Giovanni, who has been left at the altar twice. I was a bit worried that he would turn out to be an overly flawed character who drove women away, but he wasn't and I loved him. I couldn't stand his mother though - she was a truly horrible character whose inappropriate comments had had me laughing several times. I'm so glad she's not my mother in law! To balance out the manipulating mother, there was a cute little dog called Precious and a romance with the girl next door.

I listened to the audiobook edition of Dog Day Wedding, which I received free in exchange for an honest review. This is the second audiobook I have listened to from Michael Ferraiuolo. His performance was excellent this time too.

When she’s not devouring books, reviewing and blogging onHeySaidRenee, or writing her own stories, Renee
can be found swing dancing. Or possibly napping. She tweets about reading and
reviewing@HeySaidReneeand about writing, military life and dancing@ReneeConoulty, but hasn’t created a handle for nap
talk yet.

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